To improve fishing success, anglers appreciate that fish respond best to fishing lures which are able to reproduce the appearance and action of the fish's prey such as insects or other fish. Anglers also recognize that fish tend to be attracted to visual stimuli such as the reflection of sunlight off a spoon or the illumination provided by an electronic fishing lure. In electronic fishing lures, the challenge has been to blend the realistic attributes of the prey and the attractive effect of visual stimuli all into one relatively compact, uncomplicated, inexpensive yet realistic fishing lure which is usable in a variety of fishing environments.
One example of an electronic fishing lure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,157,857. The electronic fishing lure disclosed thereby includes a light emitting diode (LED) and a battery therefore. This fishing lure when powered by the battery is not activated until the electrical circuit is placed in the water since the water is necessary to complete the circuit path. Thus, there is a risk that when retrieving this fishing lure across or near the water surface, the circuit may be broken and the LED deactivated. In addition, such an arrangement does not permit ready replacement of the battery since the terminals of the electrical components are affixed to the battery itself such as by an adhesive, soldering or welding.
Another example of an electronic fishing lure is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,868 which discloses a LED that can be mounted to the hook and a power source therefore which is mounted separate from the hook. Since the power source is separate, the power source is located on an independent structure either intermediate the hook and the fishing line or else directly on the fishing line. Such an arrangement, however, does not disclose a fishing lure having a light source and power source mounted directly to the hook so as to provide as natural a presentation as possible to attract a fish and at the same time avoid having to secure structure to the fishing line. Anglers will appreciate that added structure on the line may cause fraying, crimping or damage to the line which might increase the risk of line breakage. It is desirable that the line integrity be maintained since large, potentially trophy size fish may apply stress to the line which approaches the maximum load that the line may withstand.
It is desirable therefore to provide an electronic fishing lure which provides as natural a presentation as possible with respect to both the appearance and the action of the fishing lure. It is also desirable that the light source and the power source be connected to the fishing hook without requiring additional structure which might detract from the natural appearance of the fishing lure. It is further desirable that the electronic fishing lure be operable when retrieved both on the surface and submerged and that the power source, i.e. the battery, be readily removed for replacement of the battery or deactivation of the light source. Since insects such as fireflies are a natural food source for fish, it further is desirable to provide an electronic fishing lure which imitates a firefly including the preferred size and intermittent illumination characteristics thereof.